FG, Rivers Govt Sign MoU to Advance Creative Economy

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The federal government and the Rivers State Government have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance the Renewed Hope Cultural Project, an initiative of the government designed to expand the creative economic sector in the country.

This is as the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his commitment towards the  speedy execution of the Oyorokoto Beach Resort project, pledging to ensure that it is fully developed to make Rivers State a tourism hub  in Nigeria.

Fubara made the pledge yesterday while receiving the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hanatu Musawa, who visited the state for the formal signing of the partnership agreement aimed at boosting tourism, culture and the creative industry across selected states.

Fubara disclosed that in the last three years, the state government had invested a lot of  resources in expanding the tourism sector in the state because of its desire to develop leisure spots, create jobs and diversify the local economy. 

According to Fubara, some aspects of the Renewed Hope Cultural Project were  part of what  his administration had in mind when  it initiated  the Ngô- Atlantic Oyorokoto Road  project in Andoni Local Government Area of the state.

The governor observed that infrastructure development is not just about building roads, bridges and  hospitals, but also about  building an economy for entertainment and relaxation.

He said that in Europe and some of the Middle East countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, their economies are not just boosted  by their good roads but  also by the  hospitality industry they have created to  provide comfort and relaxation to tourists.

Fubara assured that the state will not just sign the agreement, but make sure that it  goes further to put up something visible in the next four months, expressing appreciation to the federal government for selecting Rivers State as one of the key states for the project.

The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Musawa signed the MoU on behalf of the federal government, while the Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Culture, Mr Ishmael Tomonialadeokuma, signed on behalf of the state.

In her remarks, Musawa described the project as timely adding that it is in line with the desire of President Bola Tinubu to ensure collaboration between the federal government and the various states on expanding the creative industry in the country.

According to the minister, the main goal of the project is economic diversification and expansion as well as job creation.

She hailed Fubara for what his administration has  done in the area of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, describing it as being very vast.

“Mr President wants us not to work in silos but to work together with the different sub-nationals to see how the federal government can support all your efforts in the state. We have to collaborate and share our vision with the state. It is not complete if the government does not collaborate with Rivers State. In fact it is one of the low hanging fruits.” She stated.